Friday, January 6, 2012

Quests

draft

What is a Quest?
1. "Questing is a place-based education model of creating and exchanging treasure hunts in order to collect and share your community's distinct natural and cultural heritage -- your special places and stories." From vitalcommunities.org
"A quest is a community treasure hunt that guides people through -- and teaches them how to see -- a unique community treasure." From poeticsofplace.org.
"Each Quest would be made up of three parts: clues, which teach visitors how to see—or read—a community story; a map guiding them along a specific route; leading to a particular “treasure” and treasure box, complete with a story about the site, a sign-in book, and a hand-carved stamp featuring a symbol for the site." from poeticsofplace.org
"Commonly written in rhyming verse, a Quest contains movement clues
that get you from one spot to the next. (A Quest usually includes a
site map as well.) The features at these spots illustrate the story.
Quests also have informational clues, that interpret the
meaning of the features and their place in the story – maybe an old mill
site, a beaver dam, an eroded bank, or a low salt marsh." from muscongusbay.org
2. Originated in England 150 years ago and is called letter-boxing there

Why do it?
1. To learn deeply about a local place
2. To work with community members and involve the community in teaching and learning about a place
3. Map community assets
4. Foster sense of place and community

How is a Quest made? (adapted from the vitalcommunities.org site)
1. Pick a spot that that is special in your community.
2. Ask permission to make a Quest
3. Visit the site 2 or 3 times to begin to understand it,and start to think of how to form a Quest that fits the location
4. Look for the experts: people in your community who can teach you more about your location. Ask them to join you at the location.
5. Be a researcher and take notes on what those experts tell you!
6. Choose a strategy. Be creative. How will you create the clues?
7. Draw rough maps of your site. Also sketch or note the unique features that would make good clues.
8. Make a rough draft of your Quest strategy with the clues.
9. Field test the rough draft with lots of people and make changes to make it better.
10. Write a description of what makes your Quest location unique. A few paragraphs is fine--be sure to state why your location is special. This will go in your Quest box.
11. Draw final Quest Map.
12. Make a stamp to use for stamping Quest passports.
13. Get a box to use as a Quest Box (plastic food containers work well). Waterproof the introduction to the site and attach it securely to the inside cover of the box. In the box: a log book; pencil/pen; stamp; ink pad; pencil sharpener.
14. Hide the box.
15. Make sure the box will be monitored long term.